|
|
|
Donations by check, addressed to "The Healing WELL," are also welcome. Please mail them directly to:
The Healing WELL
c/o Community Initiatives
354 Pine Street, Suite 700
San Francisco, CA 94104
ALL DONATIONS ARE TAX-DEDUCTIBLE.
|
|
|
|
Dear Friends,
We’re almost there. The waiting and wondering and worrying and hoping will soon be over. Our contractor expects that the new home for The Healing WELL will be complete by the end of July. Barring unforeseen challenges, we will begin our programming at 476 Eddy (at Hyde) the first week of August.
I think of all the people who have so generously supported us: the real estate agents, architects, contractors and interior designers who are helping us build this warm and beautiful home in the Tenderloin neighborhood… The individual donors and the City and County of San Francisco, who awarded us the Non-Profit Stabilization Program grant, helping us fund the construction… The volunteers who pounded the pavement soliciting donations ranging from refrigerators to gift cards… The friends who gifted us with plants and dish drying racks and art pieces… The community partners who gave us all their chairs and tables and white boards…
Not only do we realize that we are not alone, but also we are reminded of how much stronger we are in community. It is the opening of ourselves, especially in our need and vulnerability, that the great wisdom and strength that is beyond us can seep in. With that, we experience the power and grace of walking with others. Listening, letting go, accepting, stepping forward – all those concepts that we promote through our classes – are the very things that have sustained The Healing WELL in these months of transition.
We will have an Open House in the early Fall so we can celebrate the bounty of the generosity around us. In the meantime, please know that we are profoundly grateful to each one of you for your support, encouragement and belief in The Healing WELL. We are deepening our roots in this neighborhood because of you. Thank you.
Sincerely,
Kathy Curran
Director
|
|
|
Stability is a fundamental human need, especially for those of us who have experienced turmoil and insecurity in our lives. We were concerned about the transition period during our construction, and wondered if participants would stop coming to programs because moving to an unfamiliar location would be too difficult. It is a
testament to the power of our relationships and need for our healing and recovery programs that our community has remained strong, and participation has even increased in some groups.
In the past few months we have welcomed several new people.
Anastasia is spending her summer volunteering with the Healing WELL before returning to Australia. Jamie and her mom, Heather, join us on Fridays to help with snacks and participate in groups. Julia has subbed for vacationing volunteers - one day even bringing in delicious homemade crepes, a taste of her French homeland. Michael is a student intern, helping with administrative tasks while learning about our community. Our new group facilitators will make it possible for us to begin offering afternoon programs in our new home, too. Thank you Aparna (Meditation and Yoga), Gabriella (Yoga), Don (12 Steps), Shikha (Spiritual Life), and Neil (12 Steps). We also welcome back Leslie, who's subbing as a Storytelling facilitator, and will resume teaching a weekly Art class in September.
A big "thank you" and "welcome" to everyone new!
|
|
|
A few of the new faces you might see around the Healing WELL:
Top row: Don, Aparna and Gabriella.
Bottom row: Leslie, Anastasia and Jamie.
|
|
|
Stories Behind the Fog - Richard
|
|
Meet Richard, a Wednesday Yoga class participant. He was recently featured in
Stories Behind the Fog, a multi-media project which challenges the stereotypes of homeless people, "one story at a time."
"My family gave me the yoga gene, my uncle was a yogi and my cousin, too. But unfortunately, they also gave me the alcohol gene, from my mother’s father." Richard's story reveals the healing power of yoga and of being in and around nature through his volunteer work with the Botanical Gardens Golden Gate Park. Read Richard's story
here.
"
I do sun salutes every day to maintain good health."
Photo and quote credit: Stories Behind the Fog
|
|
|
"How do the shoes you're wearing reflect who you are?" is the question with which we opened a recent monthly community forum. The sharings, some of which are below, were great expressions of self awareness and gifts for our community building.
"I keep my shoes untied so I don't feel caged in."
"The colors of my shoes are bright and warm, just like I am."
"My shoes have to be comfortable, because I walk great distances and need the support."
"These are high-quality shoes, that I got at a great price. I'm resourceful and I like looking good."
|
|
|
|
"Yoga has taught me how to respond to the world at large rather than react. This allows me to seek calmness in the face of chaos."
|
|
|
Volunteer Spotlight: Wren
We are happy to highlight Wren this month in the volunteer spotlight. Wren has been with the Healing WELL for the past year as a snack volunteer and later transitioned to teaching yoga. She brings a wealth of experience to her yoga classes, using traditional yoga props like blocks and straps, and untraditional props like walls, tables and tennis balls.
"The Healing WELleaves me feeling fulfilled and keeps me on a path that encourages me to keep learning."
Thanks for helping our community walk on this path with you, Wren.
|
|
Last night I dreamt
I danced with a poem.
It takes courage to dance with a poem,
the rhythm and a slow fire.
A rapid river
moving through my heart
towards seeing more than I want to at times.
Diving deeply into sorrow
soaring high to a sky of possibilities.
Back and forth
the tips of my wings
brushing up against
homelessness, hunger, water under siege
a flower in bloom.
A thousand joys, a thousand sorrows.
Can I still follow where the poem leads me?
Can I discover the stillness in the movement?
Can I quiet the rage and welcome the invitation to grow and desire change?
Last night I danced with a poem
now, what to do when I am awake.
-J
|
|
|
The Healing WELL is a fiscally-sponsored project of Community Initiatives
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
